Rate My Professor Kate Grafton

Professor Kate Grafton serves as Head of the School of Health and Care Sciences and Professor of Allied Health Professions Education at the University of Lincoln. She qualified as a physiotherapist from the Nottingham School of Physiotherapy in 1988 and worked for over a decade in the NHS in Sheffield, specializing in the management of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. In 1999, she began a clinical academic role in a joint appointment with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Grafton obtained an MSc in Manipulative Therapy from Coventry University in 2001 and completed a Professional Doctorate at Sheffield Hallam University in 2013. At Sheffield Hallam University, she held positions as Deputy Head of the Department of Allied Health Professions and Head of International for the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. Her research specializations encompass allied health professions education, physical activity and sedentary behaviours across the lifespan, outcome measures in physiotherapy, international physiotherapy practice, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. She has contributed to developing research capacity in allied health professions through frameworks and internships.

Grafton's key publications include 'Test-Retest Reliability of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire' (2005), 'The intra and inter-rater reliability of a modified weight-bearing lunge measure of ankle dorsiflexion' (2005), 'Barriers and Motivators of Physical Activity Participation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults—A Systematic Review' (2019), 'A systematic review of grounded theory studies in physiotherapy' (2019), 'Developing a consolidated research framework for clinical allied health professionals practising in the UK' (2020), and 'The role of Allied Health Professions and Nursing Research Internships in developing a research culture: a mixed-methods exploration of stakeholder perspectives' (2020). With approximately 800 citations, her scholarship impacts clinical practice, policy, and education in allied health. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR) Strategy Group, contributing to England's AHP research and innovation strategy. Grafton is Director of the CAHPR Professors Research Leaders Network and a co-investigator in the NIHR-commissioned Allied Health Professions Workforce Research Partnership. In 2025, she partnered in a £4.5 million project to enhance healthcare in rural, coastal, and disadvantaged areas.